Oil-well drilling rig



May 6,1924. 1,492,833

G. G. CECIL OIL WELL DRILLING RG Filed Dec. l, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 May e 1924. 1,492,833

G. G. CECIL O'IL WELL DRILLING RIG 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. l.- 1921 a; ggezgmenfoz I Patented May 6, i924.

,UNITED enoneny e. onori, or ivmicnwnnn,v OKLAHOMA.

application' mea December 1,1921.'- serial No. 519,224. i

To all whom t may concern.' l

Be it known that I, GEORGE Gr. CnoIL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Blackwell, in the county of Kay and State of Oklahoma, have invented new and useful Oil-Well Drilling Rigs, of .which the following is a specification.

The device forming the subject matter of this application is a drilling rig, and by way of explanation, it may be stated that, in drilling rigs as ordinarily constructed, the tug wheel is connected to the main shaft, along with the band wheel which drives the main shaft, the tug wheel being connected with the bull wheel by a belt, technically known as Ia bull rope. The bull wheel, being used for handling the tools and for like purposes, is not in operation during the entire time that the main drilling mechanism, operated by the shaft is working, the bull rope being cast oi the bull wheel wlhen it is not desired to actuate the bull Wheel. The bull rope, therefore is at rest at times but the tug wheel, which drives the bull rope, continues to rotate, along with the shaft and the band wheel, the result being that the bull rope, being at. rest, and being cast o the bull wheel, is worn by contact with the continuously rotating tug wheel.

The foregoing explanation having been made, it may be stated that this invention aims to provide novel means, within the control of an operator whereby the tug wheel may remain at rest, saving when itis desired to operate the bull wheel, there being, consequently, no wear on the bull'rope, and it being unnecessary to disengage the bull rope either from the bull wheel or from the tug wheel.

With the above and other objects in view, which will appear as the descrip-tion proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that, within the scope of what is claimed, changes in the precise embodiment of the invention shown can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 shows in elevation, a device constructed in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 is a cross sectionshowing the main shaft and parts carried thereby; Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of igure 2.

In order that the nature of the invention maybe understood clearly, it is. necessary uf todescribe, generally, a standard drilling rig. Therefore, `the nume-ral 1 has been employed toA designate a framefwhlereon 'an engine 2 or other prime mover is mounted.

A main shaft 3 is supported-for rota-tion on t the frame 1 and carries a crank 4 connected by a pitman 5 to a walking beam 6 fulcrumed at 7 on the frame 1 and connected operativelyv with the drilling means, indicated'at 8. A band wheel 9 is fixed to the shaft 3 and is driven from the engine 3 through the instrumentality of a belt 10. Tl'he numeral 11 denotes a tug wheel. Presupposing that the standard construction 4is being described, the tug wheel 11 is secured to the main shaft 3 or to the band wheel 9 to rotate therewith. A bull ywheel 12 is journaled on the frame 1 and is connected operatively with the tug wheel 11 b-y a belt le known as a bull rope. A hoisting line used for handling tools and for. like purposes, is connected operatively with the bull wheel 12 and is rove across a sheave 16 journaled on the upper portion of the frame 1.

A common practice, when there is no occasion for using the bull wheel 12, is to disengage the bull rope 14 from the bull Wheel. Since the tug wheel l1, which operates the bull rope 14e, rotates continuously with the shaft 3, the bull rope 14 must, obviously, be Worn by the action of the tug wheel, since the tug wheel is rotating whereas the bull rope, when cast o the bull wheel 12, is at rest. The present invention aims Vto provide novel means for overcoming the dificulty above alluded to.

In carrying out the invention, the tug Wheelll is loose on the shaft 3 and carries a clutch member 17 adapted to cooperate withl a clutch member 18 splined at 19 to the shaft 3, to slide thcrealong, into and out of engagement with the clutch member 17, the numeral 20 denoting any mechanism for actuating the clutch member 18.

Owing to the provision of the mechanism above described, the tug wheel 11 rotates only when it is connected to theshaft 3 by the clutch mechanism 17-'18. It is therefore unnecessary to disengage the bull rope 14 from the bull wheel 12, but, should it be desired to disengage the bull rope from the bull wheel, because the bull rope is in the way or for any other reason, the bull rope will not be worn by the tug wheel 11,

i f since the tug wheel rotates only when it is connected to the shaft 3 by the clutch mechanism l7-18.

What is claimed is In a drilling rig, a frame, a shaft journaled on the frame, means for rotating the shaft, drilling mechanism operatively connected with the shaft, a tug wheel mounted to rotate on the shaft, a bull wheel journaled on the frame, a belt connecting the wheels, a hoisting line operated by the bull wheel, a clutch under the control of an operator and forming a releasable connection between the tug wheel and the shaft, and a lever operatively connected with the clutch, the lever extending rearwardly from the tug wheel, and the tug wheel lying between the free end of the lever and the bull Wheel, thereby to render the lever accessible and to render it unnecessary for a person operating the lever to stand between the drilling mechanism and the belt.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aiiiXed my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

GEORGE G. CECIL. Witnesses W. L. RALSTON. E. E. WILSON. 

